Those Who Favour Fire
by thehalfbloodhatter
Summary: It's a whole new game. Different players. Different tactics. Different rules. But the prize is still the same. Destroy Voldemort. They always said the time would come to choose what is right over what is easy but who could have predicted so many shades of grey, how can something so beautiful be so wrong? Because 'star crossed lovers' has never been such an understatement.
1. Ghost

It was nearly 5am and the star strewn indigo sky was just beginning to betray the slightest signs of dawn breaking the absolute impenetrable darkness of the seemingly eternal night. Only the small metallic instruments high atop their spindly tables broke the muffled silence of the headmaster's office. All was still; the entire world was holding its breath.

Hermione sat in the small wooden chair staring into the piercing midnight blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. The evidence of the ebbing tide of battle so ominous throughout the rest of the school was vacant here. In fact the only evidence that this office had been touched by battle at all was her; sat broken and blood soaked in front of her former headmaster.

Perhaps it was the shock of the battle, the lives lost and the trauma she's been so eloped in these past hours. Perhaps it was that she could never truly accept he was gone in the first place, but somehow seeing her headmaster sat before her as placid and calm as if they'd had this meeting scheduled all along did not surprise or unnerve her.

She simply sat under the piercing gaze of those striking blue eyes and waited for him to speak.

"Miss Granger, I would say you look well, but ah forgive me that would be a lie." He flashed a small sad smile as he surveyed her bloody bedraggled appearance.

"But you're dead" she stated very matter-of-factly.

"Indeed" he replied shortly, his tone unwavering as though this was of little or no concern to him.

"Then this is impossible, are you a ghost, you look to..." She cast around for the right word "solid".

He chuckled slightly and adjusted his half moon spectacles further up his crooked nose. "One could say I am neither here nor there" he sighed. "I could never be at peace Hermione I had to see this through; there are things you have to know."

"Know what-sir" she added hastily.

"How to end this" he gestured out of the window to the ruins and smouldering fires that lay far below. "To end all the suffering and devastation Voldemort spreads in the world once and for all- to find a way to kill him absolutely and completely. A way to make sure no trace, no echo whether soul or body can _ever _linger on earth again."

"But I though the horcrux's. I thought if we just-" Hermione stammered thunderstruck. Blood rose in her face and she could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Was he telling her- he couldn't be telling her- that it had all been for _nothing_ the endless months searching; for _nothing? _

Dumbledore remained calm; his voice dropped an octave and took on a more soothing, mellow quality.

"Yes in a sense you can kill him. You can certainly bodily maim him to no repair. You can shatter every last piece of his soul and body but what good will that do. He won't be gone he'll never truly be gone. You see when Voldemort shattered his soul so completely, drained the very essence from himself he left himself with nothing. He didn't just rip apart his soul he ripped apart his humanity. He took everything that makes him human and just kept maiming, until it was gone."

"So he can't die until we kill his _humanity_?" she asked sceptical.

"Precisely" he replied in a grave tone. "As intelligent as you are Hermione I'm sure you know, how one does reconstruct his soul after making said horcrux?"

"Remorse" she whispered faintly.

"Exactly, regret, compassion all that which makes us human returning; by letting yourself feel again your soul will finally be whole."

"But surely he has no soul now? Almost every horcrux is gone."

Dumbledore smiled his blue eyes flashing beneath his crooked spectacles "exactly" he said softly and with a note of finality. "The return of his humanity, the crippling agony of knowing and regretting all he had done; it would destroy him."

"So how, how do we make him feel remorse, how do we give him his humanity back?" Hermione asked her brown eyes alight with feverish excitement. "If you say this is the only way to destroy him forever then tell me how to do it!" She demanded.

The time for niceties was gone; she'd seen her friend's dead, their bloodless faces lying at her feet tonight. She'd watched them all suffer and die right before her and now he was telling her it could be done. He could be destroyed completely and wholly. She felt a new fire within her burning right at her core, not quite anger not quite excitement but something raw and primal she couldn't quite explain.

"He has to love". Dumbledore's next words caught her completely unprepared and she almost laughed in exasperation.

"Look I get all this 'most powerful weapon' business I really do, but this is Voldemort we're talking about! You said it yourself; he can't love his souls damaged beyond repair! I've seen things tonight" she gasped forcing herself to stay calm. "He killed them, so many of them! How could he love, he's a soulless monster! I'm sorry but it's impossible" she felt on the verge of hysterics now. "Impossible..." she repeated faintly.

"Yes" he gave a small sigh. "You're quite correct Miss Granger; he can't, in any sense of the word, love anymore. But he could" quite suddenly his piercing gaze locked with hers intently "once."

Dumbledore's whole persona had changed. The kindness and clam placidity had vacated his face to be replaced by something so deep and pure his entire body seemed to radiate power. Something so intense it left her breathless. "If you could do it, if there was time and there truly was a way; could you?" Her entire body trembled under the heated gaze of the fire in his eyes. "I chose you for a reason Hermione, if anyone can you can. I know you can. You don't have a choice. He can't win, not now we're so close."

"I-I yes. I could do it." She didn't understand; of course she didn't but the intensity of his gaze, the bloodless lifeless corpse she had seen this night the fresh horrors embedded deep inside of her made her feel like right now she could do anything. She had a new strength, a new fire, a kindling of hope inside her. Yes she would do anything to end this agony.

"I don't have much time; I'm almost gone. I need you to listen now very carefully do you understand?"

She nodded, the morning sunlight just breaking the horizon was filling the office was blazing orange glow and she couldn't help but notice the old wizards grip on her arm fade a little, like the passing of a breeze, receding, almost gone.

Standing abruptly, he crossed the office floor his robes swishing on the thick carpet behind him. "Use this" he said indicating to what looked like an enlarged, slightly rusted time turner with several more knobs and buttons hovering eerily above the faintly glowing pensive. "It will take you where you need to go; my memories will act as a guide."

He emptied the silver strands of memory into the device triggering the time turner like object to begin clicking and whirling madly. Then he stood, the glow from the pensive throwing his aged lined face into sharp relief.

"You have until he makes the first horcrux before you are, by default, transported back. By my count that gives you at least a year, give or take a few months; of course at this point having split his soul the operation would become futile."

Hermione stood, and for the second time that night felt like a soldier preparing for battle, all though this was to become a very different type of war. She squared her shoulders and took a few calm collective breaths. It was too much, too much to deal with right now but as he said; she didn't have a choice.

She had to do this, no time to stop and think, no time to go back, this was here and now and by doing this she could save so many lives. Walking heavily, as though each footstep echoed an eternity she had one final question.

"But sir, what if I just killed him, stopped all this happening?"

"You're no killer Miss Granger" he smiled sadly. "Besides, greater minds than even you and I have answered this question, but instead of going into the rather complex, and quite honestly exhausting laws of Time Travel I would rather spend my last few seconds saying this." He watched her carefully as she pulled her wand from her jeans and began to swirl the cloudy mixture before her. "Good luck Miss Granger." The time turner like device began clicking and spinning faster and faster as Dumbledore squeezed her hand one last time.

"Sir" she said in a small, quiet voice almost lost in the mad whirling and clicking noises coming from the device. "It was good to see you again."

His eyes were shining now, and she noticed he looked less solid than before, wavering slightly his voice sounded disjointed, like it was more of an echo. "You too my dear, now if you'll excuse me I have an appointment with another old friend at kings cross right about now" his blue eyes gave her one last searching look "remember Hermione, no matter how far away you are, no matter how hopeless it may seem; you're not alone." And with that he was gone.

The dawn breaking outside filled the office with paths of blazing orange sunlight and with Dumbledore's parting words still echoing around the now silent room. Hermione took a deep breath and plunged head long into the deep dark swirling abyss that was the unknown.

* * *

a/n: Ok quick thing I need to clear up without trying to explain the space time continuum. Right so this is going to be mainly set in the 1940's which will be interesting, but in this scene (and when Hermione returns to the present) it is set during the battle of Hogwarts, and it goes by the books mainly except you know the slight alteration on Hermione going back in time hurh hurh.

Also if anyone's confused, Hermione has to go back and teach Tom to love, because he wasn't born with humanity she has to give it to him, otherwise they will never truly be able to kill his soul completely. Yeah. Deep shit guys.

Anyway review please, as I honestly have no idea if I like this or not, came to me in a sudden bout of wine induced inspiration. So if it's completely insane let me know, and finally it's about 3am so if any of this is just incoherent nonsense, and if there's any spelling/ grammar issues (which there will be as I suck at both) I'm begging you, tell me! I will change them asap!

Anyway one review = one hug, love always

THBH x


	2. Glances

Tom Riddle flashed his best, most disturbing smile at nothing.

Walking with an easy, effortless grace around the autumn infused halls of Hogwarts castle, he felt the cold, clear sense of purpose and supremacy he was so accustomed too.

The students before him scuttled out of his way, like a lean, striking black jaguar prowling amongst them. They recoiled like ants under his cold hard stare.

Yes, the charged atmosphere thick with fear as he swept by _was_ welcoming; he could practically feel the terror and awe flowing amidst the sea of students parting to let him through.

Yet he felt something else too; something uneasy stirred within him. It formed a small painful knot under his stomach, which keeping his face haunting and indifferent, he examined.

It felt, he decided, like a tempest; a storm approaching. Change was thick in the air and he couldn't help feel a tingle of foreboding. Yes, something was defiantly coming to Hogwarts this year, and whether this was the kind of storm he could revel in the chaos of, or destroy everything he had worked so hard to achieve was, as of yet, unclear.

Something explosive was coming.

Glancing around the notion seemed almost absurd. Same wonderstruck, curious gazes of the students, like little mice scurrying around him. Same castle, old and magnificent, the turrets and sloping lawns he loved so much. Same cold, hard, irresistible, elusive demeanour, yet he couldn't shake off the lingering feeling of coming darkness.

It was, he decided, merely the calm before the storm and when the clouds finally rolled in, _everything_ was going to change.

* * *

Everything was different now.

Subtly, small fragments of her life falling away like flaking skin.

They say in times of great change what really matters in the world is what you cling to.

When the world's turned upside down by the trauma and lingering aftershocks of sudden, inexplicable change you cling to the only things you know; like holding onto a rock in an earthquake, a slither of hope in a dire situation. You start to see things differently.

She laughed.

_Bullshit. _

There was nothing to cling to.

Her entire world, everyone she loved, had completely gone. Well technically it didn't even exist yet.

And she could successfully determine that there was _nothing_, absolutely fuck all for her to cling to. Hell, even her sense of self had slipped away. She didn't even know _herself _anymore.

Last period Potions found her sat alone, fighting away the amorous embrace of fatigue. How long had it been since she'd slept? She replayed the events in her clouding mind. _Gringotts, Hogwarts, Dumbledore..._

And then this morning, submerged in this cold alien world, so familiar yet so...distant, like she was nought but a ghost here. She made it three days without a hint of sleep; maybe that was why she felt like the walls were closing in. Or maybe she was finally succumbing to insanity.

Glancing hazily down at her battered, completely outdated textbook Hermione found herself, for what felt like the thousandth time, trying to take in what she was reading.

_Add 3 drops of essence of Murtlap, let simmer for two minutes and then stir anti clockwise until the potion turns a vibrant orange. _

She helplessly watched her mud brown concoction simmer before her.

_Fuck_ she thought grimly _I think I might have missed a few things. _

She put her head in her hands dejectedly. She knew she should have listened more attentively at the start of the lesson, but the very notion of even trying to pay attention to a much younger, rosy cheeked Professor Slughorn was absurd, laughable even. She had been pitched from the roaring flames of battle, the adrenal filled seemingly eternal night to a _potions lesson_.

Hands shaking slightly she gave her worthless concoction a feeble stir, lost in thought.

"_Hello! _I'm talking to you!"

Hermione was jolted uneasily back into reality.

A girl was stood before her, back arched leaning against the desk, a small smile teasing the corners of her rose bud mouth. Clouds of crimson hair tumbled to her delicate waist, small wisps of it clouding her face where heavily lashed, disturbingly bright green eyes watched her curiously.

"Hey, are you ok?" The crimson witch gushed suddenly, biting her bottom lip.

Hermione grimaced. She could only imagine how she must look, her appearance hadn't exactly been top of her priorities this morning and she ran an uneasy hand over her unwashed, bushy hair and greying, bruised face.

"I'm fine" she said calmly, trying to look at lot more confident than she felt.

The younger witch eyed her sceptically.

"I'm Hermione" she said evenly, trying to steer the witch's attention from her dishevelled and damn right alarming appearance.

"Adara" the girl smiled. "I'm going to guess you're the new Gryffindor transfer student?"

"That would be me" Hermione swore she almost smiled for the first time in days. Something about this small, fiery girl made her think of Ginny, and she immediately warmed to her.

"Well your potions not going too well" she remarked.

"Yeah, neither is yours" Hermione added eyeing Adara's potion with a grimace. If she thought _her_ mud brown concoction was bad Adara's was positively _awful_. A sluggish liquid of toxic green hissed abandoned in the cauldron next to her.

She laughed airily.

"Yeah, old Sluggy's not going to be impressed with either of us" she giggled. "Hey it would be great to have someone to fail potions with!"

Neglecting to mention she was actually rather good at Potions under normal circumstances Hermione laughed along with the smaller witch, merely for the fact it felt good to laugh again.

Adara's laugh was cut of abruptly.

A shrill, piercing shout of glee cut the chatter of the Potions lesson like a knife. The frigid air of the Dungeon suddenly electric as another shrill shriek of laughter, like a grotesque parody of Adara's girlish giggles, vibrated in the air.

Head snapping suddenly across the room Hermione's eyes found silver. A striking girl with silvery cat like eyes watched them mercilessly, still laughing manically at something the tall, dark boy next to her whispered seductively in her ear.

Hermione's heart stuttered.

She stood frozen, feeling as though the floor had fallen away and she was melting into some deep dark nothingness.

She recognized the dark boy lounging gracefully against the desk across the room; Tom Marvolo Riddle laughing dangerously, his mouth a half smirk.

He was; Hermione couldn't help but notice, impossibly handsome.

His pale skin contrasted perfectly with his dark hair falling with an easy, elegant grace around his striking face. His high cheek bones and straight chiselled features glowed eerily in the shimmering, pearly half light, making him seem elusive, mysterious and absolutely captivating.

She laid her wand down with a clatter.

Her breath caught. He raised that magnificent head and looked straight over at her.

Her honey golden gaze caught his eyes. Dark as the inky night sky, framed with heavy lashes they seemed to hold the heavens within them and it took her mind a moment to place where she was, who she was, and who he was.

In the brief second their eyes met any inkling in her mind of skull like features and scarlet pupils evaporated.

She glanced down quickly a small blush creeping up the hollow of her cheeks, her heart rate accelerated from his lingering glance.

He was captivating, endlessly fascinating, and infinitely impossible. She had to turn and launch herself back into her conversation with Adara before his easy, elegant grace and dark, endless eyes compelled her to stride right over there.

But turning back to her, Hermione found her companion too was looking intently over at the Slytherin table, her eyes hard, a fierce blush creeping into her cheeks.

Doing a double take, Hermione's eyes found the silvery, feline pair again and careful to block out the tall, dark boy next to her Hermione watched the girl raise one perfectly sculpted eye brow at the crimson witch.

The tall, willowy girl had platinum blonde hair hanging in a flawless curtain to her waist. Her grey metallic eyes slanted slightly, giving her an almost feral appearance. Her lips curled into a malicious smile as she watched Adara across the dungeon, the ghost of a laugh still etched around her perfect face. She had one arm wrapped around Tom's waist and the other placed seductively on her hip.

"Hey, Adara, what's up?" Hermione asked as the girl gave one last drawling laugh and turned back to her table.

"Adara!" She repeated more forcefully, wincing at the tears now glittering dangerously in the smaller witch's eyes.

"He told them!" Adara muttered furiously "he fucking told them!"

"Told them what?" Hermione hissed.

Something changed in her face.

"Nothing" she supplied pleasantly, her bright, easy demeanour back effortlessly, as though the last few seconds hadn't just happened.

"Right..." Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously.

The low chime of the bell rang through the Dungeon signalling the end of lessons, she exhaled gratefully.

"Come on!" the younger witch exclaimed tugging her out of the classroom, "things to do, people to see! I'm totally going to show you around, and oh everyone's just dying to meet you! We haven't had transfer student in like _forever_!"

Hermione sighed reluctantly as she let herself be tugged out the classroom, her companions scarlet hair bouncing and twirling behind her. _This was going to be a long day..._

* * *

He eased Lucinda Black's long sheet of silvery hair away from the side of neck, slowly grazing his lips down the soft, fragrant skin of her throat.

She moaned slightly, snaking her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

Gracefully unlatching the back of her black lace bra he trailed his lips further down her back, watching her feline eyes alight with passion.

"Do you love me" she mumbled softly into the darkness increasing the pressure on his hips.

"Of course" he lied smoothly, his voice controlled, callous. She was warm and alive in his arms, back arched, eyes wide. He smiled soothingly. This pitiful creature actually believing he felt anything towards her. Love was unthinkable, lust was a weakness. She was useful; she was a distraction; that was all. This silvery creature was mindless pleasure. She was disposable.

She smiled satisfied, intoxicated by his rich, dark scent, his elusive, irresistible pretension.

His thoughts drifted back to the hazy, electrical air of the dimly lit dungeon. The fumes from the softly simmering potions giving everything a sluggish, dream like quality.

She sat across the room, her eyes down cast, her face unreadable.

Her hair, wild and untameable framed her face perfectly; her eyes shone a fierce gold, like the heart of a fire, or an Olympian goddess.

Lucinda moaned again, her hands clawing him desperately and holding the image of the wild brunette in his mind, he laid the tall, cold witch back onto the bed.

His thoughts stayed on the fierce, unknowable witch.

He imagined how her delicate skin would look in the half light, complemented by the night air, he thought about her hair crackling and whipping around her and the fierce fire in her eyes. She looked as he imagined a witch should look. Strong and powerful and other worldly, she was a girl he would like to see go out blazing.

* * *

a/n: Thank you all for subscribing to my first chapter, here have a kitten! So here is the second, I really wanted to upload it soon and I'm super excited to hear what y'all think, seriously even if it's just one word, please review, I will send you virtual hugs. It would fill me with unknowable confidence! So, as you may have guess by my hints in the last part, this story (I'm warning you now) might get slightly smutty. Also watch out for a lot of swearing, alcohol and just general 'scull duggery' as my Mama likes to call it. Oh and also I pronounce it a-DAR-a but feel free to say it how you like :)

Anyway, this might have tons of mistakes in so I'm going to apologize now; also a lot of this was written under the influence of a lot of wine, so you can blame that, not me!

Anyway lots of love for taking time to read and virtual hugs all 'round

THBH x

p.s If you read an earlier draft where Lucinda had a diffrent name, I changed it, please don't get confused!


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